Chandler’s – Maynard MA

23102008

It’s always interesting when you’re looking for something and you find something else. I had driven through Maynard a few months ago and spied an ice cream shoppe called Big Scoops, but they advertised on the window that they featured Richardson’s Ice Cream, and I’d just had their ice cream. When I went back, they were gone and in its place was this. I went in and had a Black Cherry cone.

Chandler’s has been in Maynard for a month and a half. September seems like an odd time to try to start a new ice cream enterprise in Massachusetts, but in many ways this is fortuitous. Firstly, the plan is to keep this place open all year round and they began right about the same time that Erikson’s closed for the season. For locals looking to fill a frozen treat fix, this place has made the transition seamless.

Secondly, this is far from a new venture. Chandler’s headquarters are in Peabody, and they have been making ice cream, cakes, pastries, and chocolates since 1934. That store reopened back in June after their new owner took control. The Maynard store is the second shoppe that they have revitalized, with only the freezer cases remaining from Big Scoops’ failed venture. The ice cream for both shoppes is made at the Peabody store.

Based solely on the logo from the outside, I had presumed that chocolates were going to be the focus here, but ice cream superseded both it and all of the baked goods. The pastries in the case all looked delectable, but the closest I got to trying any of them was a taste of their Tiramisu ice cream. It was a series of subtle taste sensations, but not quite what I was in the mood for today.

Instead, I opted for the black cherry. Instead of being a cherry vanilla, this was a robust pink ice cream with pieces of cherry scattered throughout. The cherry flavor was more reserved than I was anticipating, with the sweet cream flavor of the ice cream really dominating. There wasn’t any vanilla apparent either so the taste of the cream and the cherries carried the cone which had the consistency of ice cream that I usually only associate with Cambridge (it was similar to both Christina’s and Toscanini’s).

According to the guy that scooped my cone, this Maynard store is only the beginning. Chandler’s is planning to do a large restaurant/bar/coffee shop on Revere Beach which he explained would be “something like a Cheesecake Factory for ice cream.” The only detraction from my cone experience was the cone itself which was brittle in the chilly autumn air and disintegrated as soon as I got below the level of the ice cream.